Governor Linda Lingle signed, SB 665 SDI HD2 CD1 which prohibits "a person representing a health maintenance organization under chapter 4320, a mutual benefit society issuing individual and group hospital or medical service plans under chapter 432, or any other health care organization" from membership on the Council....

In 2009, 47 percent of all tax filers paid no federal individual income taxes, and in 2011 that figure was 46 percent....

"Widely regarded as the gold standard for accreditation, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges will now accredit all public schools in Hawaii." Hawaii private schools are also accredited by WASC. The same criteria will be used for both.

 Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie, told reporters here today they see progress and room for growth in the two nations’ military relationship....

OHA chairman Clayton Hee and Van Dyke's wife, Sherry Broder, met in August (1996) with the Washington lobbying firm of Patton Boggs, L.L.P., to seek assistance in passing federal legislation to recognize OHA as the Native Hawaiian government as well as to "quietly" explore casino gambling....

Gen. Xu Caihou, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, considered the most senior military political commissar, said Friday that military forces should be “prepared for any possible military combat,” state run Xinhua news agency reported....

...she slipped and fell on uncleaned floor of the defendant’s fast food restaurant...$5,670,000....

Mazie Hirono says our Democrat supporters aren’t Democrat enough. Her partisan politics are shining through, and giving Hawaii a glimpse of the us-vs-them mentality she leads with....

Responsibility for some functions is not clearly specified in HRS 11. It is not clear that either jurisdiction has sufficient authority to resolve all the problems that surfaced in the Big Island primary election....

Abercrombie is pursuing an appeal of the injunction on Basic Health Hawai'i, with a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hearing scheduled for Tuesday in San Francisco....  

Adult Obesity Rate in Hawaii Could Reach 51.8 Percent by 2030, According to New Study -- Related Health Care Costs Could Climb by 12.3 Percent....

"I attended meetings between Governor Lingle, the Board of Education and the Superintendent, and the Governor made it clear that her support for furloughs was conditioned on them not occurring on instructional days so that students wouldn't miss any school days," Smith added.

...this updated CBO estimate represents the first time that the Medicare payment reductions are accounted for in the full 10‐year budget window....

Savings promised by the government and vendors of information technology are little more than hype....

The belief that more imports equals less employment at home is false. It follows directly that the idea that trade deficits lead to higher unemployment is also false.

Democratic FEC commissioners argued that UPW did in fact coerce “employees to participate in the union’s political activities” in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971....

• House: Minnesota Land Exchange
• House: Government Surveillance Authorities
• House: Sequestration Replacement
• House: Continuing Resolution
• House: Energy Department Loan Guarantees

Over the next 10 years, ObamaCare will reduce Medicare spending by $716 billion....

Forty visionaries signed a piece of paper 225 years ago today that became one of the most vital documents in the world: the U.S. Constitution.

$5.23 trillion in new debt vs. $1.68 trillion to the economy

Mazie Hirono voted last week to keep in place $1.2 trillion in automatic budget cuts that will hurt Hawaii’s economy ....

It took a Federal Freedom of Information Act request to find out, but that is the message Hawai`i Free Press received from federal officials.

Four Republicans endorsed by UPW...

"After all, the winner of this election will be representing us in the United States Senate and arguing for Hawaii's interests in a Capitol full of skilled debaters."

"The provision ... has been applied in ... high-profile prosecutions such as the misdemeanor case last year against former City Councilman Rod Tam for stealing city money and violating state campaign spending laws." -- Star-Advertiser

A new Honda Accord costs about the same amount no matter where you buy it.  But every dime you spend after you leave the dealer’s lot is affected greatly by where you live.... 

One of the recommendations made by consultants to the current Tax Review Commission is almost an after thought, you know like closing the barn door after the horses have escaped....

...truly massive scammers building on empty fields in Kalaeloa, DoE schools, or Kalihi warehouse roofs can now rack up the credits $5M at a time without straining their wrists....

Right now, there is no change in the tax law or its application. The new temporary administrative rules have NOT been issued yet....

The movie depicts modern Egypt, followed by an algebra problem, followed by events from the Koran. The viewer is asked to solve for X....

...terminate the revocable permit of Hawai‘i Pack and Paddle LLC to conduct commercial tours via kayak to the historic Ka‘awaloa Flats section of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park in Kona....

• Assistance to Dam and Reservoir Owners
• Appointment of Retired Judges to Serve as Emeritus Judges

Litigation continues over the adequacy of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for Honolulu’s rail rapid transit project....

Wednesday, September 19, 2012, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School in Lihue....

Issuing additional currency ... does little to raise the real GDP of the US, but does reduce the value of the dollar, and in turn increase the cost of commodities (which) will pressure profitability of businesses, and increase the costs of consumers....

Tren Urbano (or City Train) in San Juan, Puerto Rico is a perfect comparison with Honolulu's heavy rail....

Fitch views maintenance of the system's strong financial margins as necessary at this rating level, given the size of the CIP and increasing debt burden. Any deterioration could result in rating pressure....

"These business owners are looking for our government to restore much-needed certainty and confidence in our nation’s economy,” said Governor Lingle

...the actual number or percentage of unionized charter schools varies greatly from state to state....

 ... federal civilian workforce, where staffing levels and salaries would be docked more than 8 percent .... 

Obama’s strategy for this part of the world started out much the way Jimmy Carter’s did—with acts of conciliation and accommodation....

Partisan Average includes 2004, 2006, and 2010 senate and 2006 and 2010 governor....

The U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Thursday approved an amendment to a Native Hawaiian federal recognition bill to reflect the Hawaii state law creating the latest version of the Akaka Tribe 'roll'....

"It is firmly within the constitutional rights of American citizens and, contrary to the embassy's statement, within the free speech rights of all human beings to speak openly and critically about Islam...."

The high-tech buoy network faced $4.5 million in cuts in February, and Hirono opposed bipartisan House legislation to fully fund the critical system for FY2013....

Long-term care, which includes nursing home and hospice services for seniors, makes up a significant portion of Medicaid spending around the country....

Moody's announced recently that it would no longer accept state and local governments' pension liability figures at face value....

Protesters stormed the U.S. Embassy in Yemen today and set fire to a building....

Responses from WMA property owners are running over 98% opposed to the project, with less than 1% in favor. Two surveys last year across Molokai found opposition first at 93%, which then grew to 97%, with again only 1% in favor.

Apple none-too-subtly pressures the Search Advisory Committee to select Lokelani Lindsey's 'Broken Trust' enforcer as AD....